Free Holiday Ideas » Christmas Traditions

To Me, It Just Isn’t Christmas Until…

kthomas — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:29:14 +0000

we whip up a batch of Grandma Maguire’s French cookies. The mishaps throughout the years make the tradition even better. I thought it would be fun to find out what some other bloggers needed to get in the Christmas spirit. Let’s go through the gates and get ready to enjoy this week’s Carnival of Red Hot Bloggers. Ooooh, funnel cakes. Sorry, I just got distracted for a second.

First, lets visit Gayla from Mom Gadget. She doesn’t mess around. For her, Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving.

Angela at Angela’s Right to Free Speech doesn’t get that Christmas feeling until everything around her is decorated and the snow starts coming down.

Char at Casual Keystrokes needs to hear the tinkle of shattering ornaments before she gets in the Christmas spirit.

Would you mind holding my cotton candy for a minute? I’m determined to win one of those big stuffed toys and I can’t play with my hands full. Lost again! Why don’t we look at this next booth while they’re resetting the game?

Kris from Daily Experiences of a Young Dad says that when the Martians can see his house, he feels like it is Christmas.

Eliza Jane from I’m Not Just a Mom feels the Christmas season starts when she hears Christmas songs everywhere she goes. She also talks about a wonderful Christmas tradition that her family has that makes it feel like Christmas on Holiday Blogger.
Delphine from L.I.F.E. Salad says that for her, Christmas begins when the tree goes up.

I hate to leave a carnival. There’s always so much fun and excitement. So, before we say goodbye, let’s take a moment to duck in that little tent off to the side. Is it…It is! Don West has discovered an Illusive Hoary Marmot. Ok, it has nothing to do with Christmas, but the little guy is just so cute.

If you have a moment where Christmas begins for you, its not too late to join in. Feel free to add your tradition.

Christmas Elf Tradition

kthomas — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 13:01:10 +0000

Gayla from MomGadget has a wonderful family Christmas tradition to share and a moving story about how the tradition started. After Thanksgiving, an elf comes to stay. He moves about the home, keeping a close eye on your child’s behavior. When he or she is good, the elf leaves a treat in a small stocking. Since parents are moving the elf to another location while the child is sleeping, it seems like the elf is flying from place to place on his own. For details on this fun tradition, visit Gayla’s Christmas Elf tradition post.

Christmas in Finland

kthomas — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 13:51:17 +0000

One of Finlandâ€™s most important winter celebrations is St. Luciaâ€™s Day, a holiday that is also celebrated in Sweden. St. Lucia is said to have delivered food to the Christians during the time of their greatest persecution, her way lit only by a few candles. St. Lucia was executed for her efforts, thus she later became a saint of the people of Finland and Sweden. St. Lucia Day is celebrated on December 13, and, at that time, the eldest daughter is dressed in a white robe and sash with a head wreath with candles around it. She then distributes breakfast rolls and coffee in honor of St. Lucia.

Finland also celebrates Christmas differently from countries in the western parts of the world. One of the big differences is with the Christmas Tree. In many cultures the tree is erected and decorated as far as a month before Christmas, while in Finland it is felled and decorated on Christmas Eve. The children of the family will then decorate it with ornaments, tinsel, cookies, candy, apples, small Finish flags, and candles or Christmas lights.

Christmas day is also different in Finland, as the stores and shops are open till noon, which is the official start of the Peace of Christmas. This is when Christmas is officially in effect. In Finland, families will also go to the graveyard in the early evening and place candles on the graves of departed loved ones and mourn for them. After all of this, the celebration begins with a visit from Joulupukki, a jolly old man dressed in a red suit similar to ‘St. Nick’, but a rough translation of Joulupukki is Christmas Goat. While St. Nick and Joulupukki both use reindeer and a red sleigh to go from house to house delivering gifts to the ‘good children’, Joulupukki doesn’t fly or go down the chimney in the middle of the night, but knocks on the door during the Christmas celebration and announces ‘ Onko tÃ¤Ã¤l lÃ¤ kilttejÃ¤ lapsia’ which asks if there are any good children in the house.

After giving out his gifts Joulupukki ‘departs’ to Lapland to his workshop for another year of toy making. Of course, Joulupukki is normally played by a male family member or friend of the family who sneaks out of the house to knock on the door and distribute presents to the elated children as a reward for their good behavior throughout the year.